Trigger operating mechanism for aircraft guns



June 12, 1934. w, Q HAUBROE 1,962,591

TRIGGER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR AIRCRAFT GUNS Filed Jan. 5, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VE/V 70,9: \4/RN1P 0.1. 649021901:

June 12, 1934. w. c. L. HAUBROE 7 1,962,591

TRIGGER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR AIRCRAFT GUNS Filed Jan. 5, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.

1 I 2 1 28 I 2s 27 1- 22 A 30 I 23" f 29 4? I l 23 l i a; Q l 2 I 8.1 I E 9 I I)" I F 9 IO f WEQ/VEQ L 4 05x12 GFFHCE TRIGGER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR AIRCRAFT GUNS Werner Christian Lassen Haubr'oe, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Application January 5, 193? Serial No. 650,239-

. In Denmark January 18,

3 Glaims. (CL 102-27 The present inventionrelates to atrigger device manner that after having been actuated it will for guns installed in aircraft and adapted for still allow a certain number of trigger actions to firing between the blades of the propeller, the be performed before it automatically enters into trigger of the gun being for that purpose actuated the effective locking position.

from a cam disk on the motor or propeller shaft, The invention relates to the trigger mecha- 60 or a shaft driven synchronously therewith, by nism with locking device but, not to the operating means of suitable intermediate members congrip itself, which in the one as well as in the other sisting mainly of two pistons adapted to slide construction is previously known. each in one end of a tube, and of an intermediate Two different constructions of the invention are pressure-transmitting medium enclosed by the illustrated in the drawings. 65

tube. Figs. 1 and 2 show the part of a trigger mech- In order to minimize wear on such a trigger anism with simple locking device that cooperdevice, it will be necessary to maintain the same ates with a cam disk, in side elevation and in uncoupled locked, when firing is not going on, and section, respectively,

the device is only coupled in when firing is to be Figs. 3 and 4 the corresponding part of a trig- 70 performed, ger mechanism with locking device for delayed The invention has for its object to provide a locking, similarly in side elevation and in seclocking and releasing arrangement for trigger detion, respectively, and

vices of the kind mentioned above. Fig. 5 the p Of each of the W trigger When the trigger device is locked, the firing mechanisms co-operating with the trigger de- 7 will of course cease, as the locking prevents vice of the weapon itself.

actuation of the trigger mechanism. In the auto- In a casing 2 attached to the frame or motor matic weapons here concerned, however, any firof the flying machine a movable piston 1 is proing is normally followed by a charging, and for vided, which by means of a roller 3 and under weapons adapted to fire between the blades of a the pressure from a spring 4 rests against the propeller a suitable arrangement is therefore edge of the cam disk 6 keyed to the motor or made that the loading mechanism will also be propeller shaft 5 a shaft driven synchronously locked when the firing is to be discontinued, as thereto and, therefore, by the rotation of the otherwise the weapon would be left with a said disk will be moved back and forth in the 30 cartridge in the chamber, which might result in casing 2. The rear end of piston l is pressed spontaneous ignition of the said cartridge in the forward by the head '7 of another piston 8 chamber due to the intense heat from the preadapted to slide in the end of a pipe 9, which is ceding firing and, therefore, an untimely firing. attached to the rear end of the cylinder 2 and, Such a locking of the loading mechanism must filled with. a press et medium- 35 be performed some suitable time before the trigfor instance as shown a series of balls lO-leads ger device is locked, so that the last insertion of a to the pa Of the trigger dev ce of the arm shown cartridge will be certain to be followed by at in 5 and (IO-Operating With the trigger of least one trigger action. This result can be atthe weapon. The end of the pipe 9 is here attained by actuating the locking device of the loadach d, pr f r y i adjustable r, in a 40 ing mechanism and that of the trigger mechanism ppl 11 a the bottom p f t e trigger frame 45 convenience in service should be done by means in, which piston is provided with a head 17 restg 50 but the grip may also and most suitably (viz in cam disk are driven in the direction towards the 5 device having then to be arranged in such a against the piston head 1'7, and the pistons 16 respectively by means of a separate grip for each, in Which the trigger in the S pe Of a lever operated with a suitable delay between the two 3, 14 is D V a u a bolt 15. In front of operations, but the actuation of both locking dethe series of balls 10, a piston 16 is disposed in vices may be accomplished and, for the sake of the end of the p p 9 and p d to slide thereof one and the same grip, which may be arranged ing against a roller 18 mounted for rotation in in such a manner that by a continuous motion the real end of the triggel ve 13, 14, which is the grip first effects the locking of the loading thus turned to t e Ope ating position when the mechanism and then of the trigger mechanism, pistons and the series of balls by action of the order to avoid too great motions of the operating trigger lever, the front, arm 13 of which is actugrip) be arranged in such a manner that it will ated by a spring 19 so as to rock in the opposite actuate the two locking mechanisms simuldirection, in such a manner that the roller 18 taneously, the locking mechanism for the trigger will constantly be maintained pressed.- firmly operate.

considered to be a 3 nected to the rear arm long as the Bowden cable is maintained taut, the detent will be out of engagement with the and 8 with the intermediate series of balls will therefore be driven in the direction towards the piston 1, and will follow the same when the spring 4 moves the piston forward towards the shaft 5, after a cam on the cam disk 6 has passed the roller 3.

The adjustability oi the pipe 9 in the nipple 11 on the trigger frame 12 may be provided by attaching the end of the pipe not in the nipple itself but in a sleeve threaded on the outside and screwed more or less deeply into the nipple.

It will be seen that there is really nothing to prevent the piston 1 from being firmly connected to the piston 8 so as to form a piston l, 8.

The casing 2 may also be considered to be an extension of the pipe 9, and the piston 8 to belong to the pressure medium. It will seen that the piston 1 in every respect has to be pipe-end piston in the pressure-transmitting device. W

Figs. 1 and 2 show a locking and releasing device consisting of a spring-actuated bell-crank lever 23, 23', which is pivoted on the side of the casing 2 and is hook-shaped at one end to form a 'detent 21, which detent for the purpose of preventing the further operation of the trigger mechanism enters through the side of the casing adjacent to a cut-away portion forming a shoulder 22 on the piston 1, or 8, whenthe cam disk has moved the piston as far away from the shaft as possible, unless the detent at the moment concerned might be maintained in released positlon. The release is effected by actuation from a Bowden cable 24 or similar device con 23 of the bell-crank. As

piston, and the trigger device will be free to When the Bowden cable is released, the detent will enter intoits locking position, whereby the firing will be caused to stop in consequence of the trigger device being put out of operation.

Most'suitably the locking device is arranged in such a manner that the same, after having been released for locking, will allow the cam disk to actuate the piston still a number of times before the locking becomes effective, and thereby a se- N curity will be attained for the insertion of a cartridge into the chamber being always followed by at least one trigger motion.

Such a locking device is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Likewise as in the construction according to Figs. 1 and 2, a spring-actuated bell-crank lever 23, 23' is here pivoted to the side of the casing 2, and one arm 23 of the said lever is connected to a Bowden cable 24, but the other arm 23 of the bell-crank lever is here fork-shaped and has, instead of a fixed hook, a ratchet wheel 25 adapted to co-operate with the hook 22 on the piston l; The ratchet wheel is actuated by a spring 26, Fig. 3,- which tendsto rotate the wheel in the direction of theinclination of the teeth of the said Wheel, and which spring is tightened, when the wheel is rotated in the op- V posite direction. On the ratchet wheel a lug or pin 27 is provided, which by striking against tappets 28 and 29 on the arm 23' limits the rotation of the wheel in one or the other direction, respectively. On the arm 23 a spring-actuated check pawl 30 is pivoted, which engages the ratchet wheel when the latter is'in engagement with the piston l, but is automatically disengaged from the said wheel, when the latter, by the rotation of the bell-crank lever produced by a pull on the then be 7 means engageable with the ratchet Bowden cable, is swung away from the piston, as the pawl for this purpose is provided with an arm 31 extending at an angle therefrom, which by such a rotation of the bell-crank levercomes into engagement with a stopping'lug 32 fixed on the casing 2, thereby swinging the pawl on its pivot so as to release the ratchet for rotation under the action of its spring.

When the bell-crank 23, 23 is turned by means of the Bowden cable 24, while the cam disk 6 is rotating, the resulting action will be as follows:

During the first part of the motion the one tooth of the ratchet wheel that retains the piston in its rearmost position will release the same, in such a manner that by means of the spring 4 the roll 3 will be pressed against the cam disk 6, and now will follow the surface of the latter. During the continued motion of the bell-crank lever 23, 23', the nose 31 of the pawl 30 strikes the stopping lug 32, whereby the pawl is forced out of engagement with the ratchet wheel, which thus is now free and therefore while actuated by the spring 26, will rotate until the pin 27 strikes the tappet 28 on the bell-crank'lever arm 23.

When the pull on the Bowden cable 24 ceases, the spring-actuated bell-crank lever 23, 23' will swing out, in such a manner that the arm 23 will be moved towards the casing 2, and the teeth of the ratchet'wheel 25 will engage the hook of the piston 1. For each motion of the piston the ratchet wheel will now be turned one tooth forward, and the check pawl 30 will prevent the ratchet wheel from turning back with the piston.

This is continued, until the pin 27 of the ratchet wheel strikes the tappet 29 of the arm 23. The piston 1 is then prevented from being moved forward, and the motion will cease. The piston will consequently have performed a num ber of motions forward and backward, after the pull on the Bowden cable has ceased, and will thus fire the shot, if the Weapon has been loaded ready for firing, after the release oi the Bowden cable.

The details of construction herein described are capable of modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:- 1. Trigger mechanism for firearms, comprising in combination, a rotatable shaft, a cam disk carried by said shaft, a trigger-operating member, a tube disposed between said member and the cam disk, a pair of pistons reciprocable in opposite ends of said tube, one of said pistons having contact with the cam disk," means in said tube between said pistons 'for transmitting motion from onev piston to the other, a spring-actuated bell-crank pivoted adjacent .to one of said pistons, a spring-actuated ratchet wheel mounted for rotation in 'said bell-crank, the teeth of said ratchet wheel normally projecting into the path of movement of said piston, said pistonhaving teeth when the piston is at the limit of its retractive movement in said tube thereby to rotate the ratchet wheel one tooth at each forward movement of the piston, means for limiting the rotary motion of said ratchet'wheel, thereby to lock the piston against reciprocation, a pawl in engagement with said ratchet for holding it against rotation in the opposite direction under the tension of its spring, means for swinging said bell-crank on its pivot thereby to move the ratchet out of engagement with the piston, means automatically ope'rative during said movement to disengage said pawl thereby to release the ratchet for rotation under the action of its spring, and means for limiting said rotation.

2. Trigger mechanism for firearms, comprising in combination, a rotatable shaft, a cam disk carried by said shaft, a trigger-operating member, a tube disposed between said member and the cam disk, a pair of pistons reciprocable in opposite ends of said tube, one of said pistons having contact with the cam disk, means in said tube between said pistons for transmitting motion from one piston to the other, a spring-actuated bellcrank pivoted adjacent to one of said pistons, a spring-actuated ratchet wheel mounted for rotation in said bell-crank, the teeth of said ratchet wheel normally projecting into the path of movement of'said piston, said piston having means engageable with the ratchet teeth when the piston is at the limit of its retractive movement in said tube thereby to rotate the rachet wheel one tooth at each forward movement of the piston, a pivoted pawl in engagement with said ratchet for holding it against rotation in the opposite direction, means for swinging said bell-crank on its pivot thereby to move the ratchet out of engagement with the piston, means automatically operative during said movement to disengage said pawl thereby to release the ratchet for rotation under the action of its spring, a pin carried by said ratchet wheel, and a pair of tappets carried by said bell-crank at diametrically opposite points with relation to the ratchet wheel for engagement with said pin during rotation of the ratchet wheel in opposite directions thereby to limit such rotation.

3. Trigger mechanism for firearms, comprising in combination, a rotatable shaft, a cam disk carried by said shaft, a trigger-operating member, a tube disposed between said member and the cam disk, a pair of pistons reciprocable in opposite ends of said tube, one of said pistons having contact with the cam disk, means in said tube between said pistons for transmitting motion from one piston to the other, a spring-actuated bell-crank pivoted adjacent to one of said pistons, a spring-actuated ratchet Wheel mounted for rotation in said bell-crank, the teeth of said ratchet wheel normally projecting into the path of movement of said piston, said piston having means engageable with the ratchet teeth when the piston is at the limit of its retractive movement in said tube thereby to rotate the ratchet wheel one tooth at each forward movement of the piston, means for limiting the rotary motion of said ratchet wheel, thereby to lock the piston against reciprocation, a pivoted pawl in engagement with said ratchet for holding it against rotation in the opposite direction under the tension of its spring, means for swinging said bell-crank on its pivot thereby to move the ratchet out of engagement with the piston, an arm carried by said pawl and extending at an angle thereto, a fixed lug disposed in position to engage said arm during the swinging movement of the bell-crank for swinging the pawl on its pivot thereby to release the ratchet wheel for rotation under the action of its spring, and means for limiting said rotation.

WERNER CHRISTIAN LASSEN HAUBROE. 

